Oklahoma I-40 Construction Nightmare Continues

Nothing ruins a nice cross-country drive faster than construction, and if I didn't know better, I'd say that I-40 through the entire stretch of Oklahoma has been under construction for the past ten years. Construction on highways is inevitable and desperately needed in many areas, but Oklahoma wins the dual award for most construction and worst roads at the same time.

I've made several cross-country trips over the years, from coast to coast, but Oklahoma on Interstate 40 hasn't changed a bit since the last time I traversed it close to seven years ago. When you first enter the state heading west, the roads become uneven and it's riddled with ugly tar patches. Still, I'd rather switch lanes continuously to make for a smoother ride than be stuck in one lane with cement blocks on either side.

Unfortunately, the latter is what we seemed to face for a good part of our trek across Oklahoma. Lucky for us, the weather was clear and we drove during the day, but I guarantee this timing wasn't an accident. The last time I drove through Oklahoma, I was by myself, driving in the rain...in the dark. Not cool.

Even though a little voice told me the conditions would be the same this time around, I still wondered why the conditions were so poor. After an investigation on the Internet, I didn't find much other than an explanation for the highway construction in Oklahoma City.

According to Oklahoma State's website, construction crews are adding an I-40 expressway south of the city. This new four-mile stretch will help ease the load off of the main, burdened stretch of I-40 that goes straight through the city.

Well, that's one spot explained, but what about the road construction going on through the rest of the state?

Another state site has an updated list of active construction on I-40. The amount of construction is astounding. As of the date of this publication, five stretches of I-40 across Oklahoma State are under construction. Cities include Oklahoma City (crossroads, 2 areas), Muskogee, Sayre, Erick and Hinton. Muskogee and Sayre alone are 41 miles of combined construction on both eastbound and westbound sides of the highway. It's slow, confined, and plain insanity. The rest of the cited areas don't say how many miles of construction are involved. Muskogee, Oklahoma City, and Sayre practically divide Oklahoma up in to three equal parts, so when I say the construction seems to last through the entire state, it's mostly true.

Hopefully, for cross-country drivers and locals alike, the aggravation will end soon. The crossroads section of Oklahoma City isn't scheduled to be completed until 2012. Lucky for me, I won't have to drive that stretch again anytime soon. If I do find myself on another coast-to-coast excursion, I might dip down to I-10 just to avoid the frustration of driving through that construction once more.